Judge Sentences Man To 12 Years In Prison For Throat Slashings

NEW HAVEN — A Meriden man who slashed the throats of his father and younger brother in a vicious nighttime attack last year was sent to prison for 12 years Friday.

Jackson Cheuk Man Lee, 21, faced up to 43 years in prison for the Sept. 2 attack that nearly killed his father, Dinghui Lee, and his brother, Leon Lee, then 10..

But New Haven Superior Court Judge Richard A. Damiani imposed the lesser sentence in return for Lee's decision in April to plead guilty to two counts of first-degree assault and one count of carrying a dangerous weapon.

Lee entered his guilty pleas under the Alford doctrine, through which he did not admit guilt but acknowledged that the state had enough evidence to secure a conviction.

Meriden police had, at one point, charged Lee with two counts of criminal attempt to commit murder. Police said Lee wore a ski mask and surprised his victims in their Meriden apartment. He was found bloodied and hiding in nearby bushes a short time later.

During sentencing Friday, Damiani reminded Lee that once he leaves prison he is scheduled to be deported by the federal Immigration and Naturalization Service.

Lee appeared in court in a prison- issue tan jumpsuit and with shackles around his feet. He followed the proceedings through a Chinese interpreter. No members of Lee's family were present in court.

Dinghui Lee is the former owner of the Jade Garden Chinese Restaurant in Meriden.

Friday's sentencing went much more smoothly than Lee's last court appearance two weeks ago, during which he fired his lawyer, New Haven Chief Public Defender Thomas J. Ullmann, and attempted to withdraw his prior guilty pleas.

Lee told the court he was not satisfied with Ullmann's defense and didn't think he was getting a fair deal.

On Friday, Lee was represented by Donald Dakers of the New Haven Legal Assistance Association Inc. The association accepts cases for the public defender's office when there may be a conflict.

But after talking to Lee at length Friday morning, Dakers told Damiani that he saw no weaknesses in Ullmann's defense and no reason to withdraw Lee's prior pleas.

``I am really not prepared to go forward with his motion because I don't feel there is any validity to it,'' Dakers said of withdrawing the guilty pleas.

With that, Damiani sentenced Lee to 12 years in prison for each of the first-degree assault convictions and three years in prison for the weapons charge. All of the sentences are to be served concurrently, Damiani said, for a total effective sentence of 12 years in prison.